​Wingaru Aboriginal Education Blog

​I’m really excited this week to have our new platform, Wingaru Bubs, available to early childhood education providers. It is a digital resource centre, filled with informative, engaging and flexible resources that support educators and children as they explore Aboriginal perspectives.

The Early Childhood Education sector has undergone considerable changes over the last few years. We are recognising the important role that early education plays and regulation provides a framework which supports quality early education programs.

The Early Years Learning Framework is a national framework that was developed by government in consultation with the early childhood sector. The Framework helps guide educators to support young learners engage in educational experiences that are both engaging and give our bubs a strong education foundation.

These quality improvements are good for both educators and children. The hard work and skill that educators bring to our children’s lives every day is recognised and programs have meaning, supporting kids as they develop a sense of self and take their first steps into the education world.​The Framework requires educators to develop cultural competencies in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and strengthen relationships with their local communities. The Framework acknowledges that building this competence is a process that is underpinned by relationships, evolves over time and must involve attitudes, skills and knowledge.

When we started talking to educators and families involved with early childhood education, a common theme quickly became apparent – many educators had never had any education about Aboriginal people and felt overwhelmed when delivering Aboriginal content. So where do educators who have limited knowledge about Aboriginal people, culture and history start?

Wingaru Bubs features four sections designed to support educators with information and resources which make Aboriginal perspectives more accessible than ever. Wingaru Education recognises that education environments are diverse, both in community and approach, and because of this our resources have been designed with flexibility in mind.

The educator resources include Framework-aligned Learning Guides, making educators’ jobs easier and freeing up their time to focus on the experience and learning with our kids.

The information included in the Guides is suitable for all educators, regardless of their previous experience with Aboriginal perspectives. Each Framework-aligned Learning Guide is written in plain language and is suitable as an introduction to a subject or as a foundation for an in-depth learning experience. By creating flexible resources we can support educators of all experience levels.

Educators are further supported with a range of culturally appropriate information, fact sheets and printable resources including activity sheets, posters, and colouring sheets.

For young learners, the platform includes digital activities that have been designed to be enjoyed solo or as a group activity where children work together to explore Aboriginal content and develop skills and knowledge to support their development as individuals and their understanding of a diverse community. The exclusive videos are designed to engage visual learners, delivering information while entertaining young learners.

Our educators, as always, have done a great job putting together a collection of videos, activities and experiences that support educators and engages learners. Please get in touch if you think your early childhood education provider would be interested in Wingaru Bubs.

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AcknowledgmentWingaru Education acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, to the Elders past, present, and emerging.